BELMONT — The two people found dead in a Lake Winnisquam rental home Friday morning were a mother and son who were hacked to death, state investigators said.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Strelzin said the state medical examiner had determined that Priscilla Carter, 59, and Timothy Carter, 39, both of 20 Sunset Drive, died from multiple wounds.

Priscilla Carter also suffered blunt force injuries, Strelzin said.

No one has been arrested in connection with the murders yet, Strelzin said. He would not comment on the weapon or weapons used in the murders.

Strelzin also would not comment on the status of the youngest member of the household, who was identified by the family’s landlord as Shawn Carter, 31.

Tilton police said they arrested Shawn Carter after an alert went out at 1:50 p.m. on Friday. Tilton Police Chief Robert Cormier said one of his officers detained Carter at 2:20 p.m. and turned him over to Belmont police as requested. The detention was related to the Belmont homicides investigation, Cormier said Friday.

The alert said Carter was possibly armed and was to be considered dangerous, Cormier said.

Strelzin would not comment on Shawn Carter’s arrest. "No one is in custody in relation to the homicides," he said. But he added: "Based on the investigation to date, we do not have any information that indicates that the general public is currently at risk due to the occurrence of the homicides in Belmont.’’

Belmont police Cpl. Stephen Akerstrom refused Saturday night to confirm whether Shawn Carter was in custody or whether charges of any kind were filed against him. Akerstrom referred all questions to Strelzin.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about the incident or who knew the Carter family to contact the New Hampshire State Police at 223-4381.

Strelzin confirmed that state Fish and Game divers were in the lake waters for several hours Saturday morning looking for evidence.

First responders

At 11:03 a.m. Friday, police responded to the single-family home and discovered the bodies of a man and a woman inside.

A police alert went out Friday afternoon to Inter-Lakes High School in Meredith in connection with the case, but investigators have not given details of why it was sent.

Inter-Lakes School District Superintendent Mary Ellen Ormond said she received the alert at 1:45 p.m.; it said there was a dangerous situation in a nearby town that might "spill over."

Ormond said she didn’t know what the danger was, but put the school into a "secure campus" mode for about 45 minutes.

She wasn’t sure what the link to Belmont might have been. Students went home at their usual time, she said, and there was no disruption of the school.

The owner of a marina next to the home said he had to take out a restraining order against Shawn Carter two weeks ago.

Ed Crawford, the owner of Winnisquam Marine, said: "It was really strange; he kept wandering over into our buildings. He kept saying he had to find ‘Alex,’’’ and Crawford had to lock the gate to his business.

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